Comedian Iliza Shlesinger's comedy is physical — she contorts, snorts and stalks the stage in her new special, Confirmed Kills.

Timothy Hiatt
/ Netflix

Listen

Listening...

/

Comedian Iliza Shlesinger has a lot to say about what it's like to be a lady these days — and what things could have been like in the past.

"Do you think for a second, that if women were physically stronger than men, we would have waited for the right to vote?" she asks in her latest Netflix special, Confirmed Kills. She goes on to imagine a "jacked up housewife" in 1910, with a "shaker of horse testosterone and creatine," shoving her husband out of the way because "mama's going to the polls."

Shlesinger's comedy is both topical and physical — she contorts, she snorts, she stalks the stage, she pretty much becomes the characters in her own jokes.

The 34-year-old comedian grew up in Dallas, studied film in college, and nine years ago became the first woman to win NBC's competitive reality show Last Comic Standing. Shlesinger says she doesn't love the label "female comic" — she says she competes with men all the time, but if you must compare her act to other female stand ups, there is a difference: While she does riff on being a woman, she doesn't make a lot of jokes about sex. "Me on stage is an extension of who I am in real life," she says. "What you see is what you're getting. Obviously it's an exacerbated version, but in general I'm not the girl who walks around yelling things like 'p---- power.'"

Interview Highlights

On being called raunchy

I'm not brash, and I think people with lack of a better vocabulary will say things like, "Oh, you're raunchy." I'm like, am I raunchy because I've pointed out something that makes you uncomfortable, and I was honest, or am I raunchy because you don't know other words? It's probably a longer road because I'm not naturally dirty, and I don't own my sexuality in the way that other comedians might choose to make public, but I think at the end of the day, you have to go to bed knowing that you did it your way.

On her "party goblin" character

Your party goblin — everybody has one — she lives in the back of your brain and she's basically the creature that comes out when you don't expect it, and is responsible for any crazy night you've had. The thing is, she doesn't come out when you're like, "It's my birthday, let's go out!" She might — but she comes out on the night where you're like, "I'll just have one drink." And then you're like, "Oh my god, I woke up in Tijuana."

On addressing serious issues around being a woman

It's the idea of — everybody has an agenda, and everybody has a perspective — and I'm speaking to the people who need comfort but I'm also speaking to the people who might not understand this message on its own. And getting up on a stage and ranting — first of all it has to be funny. You can cloak intelligence and — I'm using "agenda" softly — you can shroud it in comedy, and it's more digestible. Of course the laughs come first, but the message is, once I've gotten you laughing, I want to get you thinking. And there are so many men that are allowed to get up there ... and give their social commentary. And for some reason, women haven't either stepped up to that as standup comedians — some of them have, for sure — but en masse, not really. I just wanted to stand up for the girls who felt that no one was standing up for them, and I wanted to say what people were thinking, and I wanted girls to feel a little less alone.

Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

KELLY MCEVERS, HOST:

Comedian Iliza Shlesinger has a lot to say about what it's like to be a lady these days and what things could have been like in the past.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "CONFIRMED KILLS")

ILIZA SHLESINGER: Do you think for a second that if women were physically stronger than men, we would have waited for the right to vote?

(SOUNDBITE OF CHEERING)

MCEVERS: This is from her Netflix special, "Confirmed Kills."

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "CONFIRMED KILLS")

SHLESINGER: It's 1910. Some jacked up housewife is just put weight in her garage. She got a shaker of horse testosterone and creatine. Her little husband comes in. He's like, you're not voting. She'd be like, out of the way, Jedediah.

MCEVERS: Shlesinger's comedy is topical and physical. She contorts. She snorts. She stalks the stage, and she becomes the characters in her own jokes.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "CONFIRMED KILLS")

SHLESINGER: Momma's (ph) going to the polls.

(LAUGHTER)

MCEVERS: Shlesinger is 34. She grew up in Dallas. She studied film in college. And nine years ago, she was the first woman to win NBC's competitive reality show "Last Comic Standing." Now she's on tour. She stopped by NPR West before a show here in LA. And Iliza Shlesinger doesn't love the label female comic. She says she competes with men all the time. But - OK, fine - if you want to compare her act to other female stand-ups, there's a difference. While she does riff on being a woman, she doesn't make a lot of jokes about sex.

SHLESINGER: Me on stage is an extension of who I am in real life. Like, what you see onstage is what you're getting. Obviously, it's an exacerbated version, but in general, I'm not the girl who walks around yelling things like [expletive] power.

MCEVERS: (Laughter).

SHLESINGER: And I'm not brash. And I think people with lack of a better vocabulary will say things like, oh, you're raunchy. I'm like, am I raunchy because I've pointed out something that makes you uncomfortable, and I was honest? Or am I raunchy because you don't know other words? It's probably a longer road because I am not naturally dirty, and I don't own my sexuality in the way that other comedians might choose to make public. But I think at the end of the day, you have to go to bed knowing that you did it your way.

MCEVERS: The character that so many people identify with and love is the party goblin.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "CONFIRMED KILLS")

SHLESINGER: She sleeps in the back of your brain. And she waits...

(SOUNDBITE OF SNORTING)

SHLESINGER: ...On a pile of rags...

(SOUNDBITE OF SNORTING)

SHLESINGER: ...And regrets...

(SOUNDBITE OF SNORTING)

SHLESINGER: ...And old Tiger Beat magazines. She waits for the perfect opportunity.

MCEVERS: Tell us who the party goblin is and, like, how she happened.

SHLESINGER: She's basically the creature that comes out when you don't expect it and is responsible for any crazy night you've had. The thing is she doesn't come out when you're like, it's my birthday. Let's go out. She might, but she comes out on the night where you're like, I'll just have one drink, and then you're like, oh, my God, I woke up in Tijuana.

MCEVERS: (Laughter).

SHLESINGER: Like, that's - she's the one. And when you wake up, and you're like - I did what with who? - she's the one sitting, like, right next to you, urging you - like, eat that sandwich out of the garbage. It's good for you. Text your ex-boyfriend that you love him, then turn your phone off. Like, she's the one with all these horrible ideas. And she is, if you looked at her, the worse version of you during your worst night. For me, she has like one Ugg boot, one wedge.

MCEVERS: (Laughter).

SHLESINGER: She's got like a bad hair clip-in extension, and she's, you know, probably me when I was, like, in my 20s. So everybody looks different, but everybody has one.

MCEVERS: You - I mean, so many of your jokes are about being a woman. Of course, that's what you know. That's what half of the population knows, but you talk about serious stuff. You talk about sexual harassment. You talk about body image. I don't know. It's like - are you using the serious stuff to get a laugh? Or are using the laughs to kind of get to more serious stuff?

SHLESINGER: It's that - it's the idea of everybody has an agenda, and everybody has a perspective. And I'm speaking to the people who need comfort, but I'm also speaking to people who might not understand this message on its own. And getting up on stage and ranting, first of all, has to be funny, but you can cloak intelligence and - I'm using agenda softly - you can shroud it in comedy, and it's more digestible.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "CONFIRMED KILLS")

SHLESINGER: Every girl in here knows what it's like. A guy yells something disgusting at you and because you're strong you yell back - right? - [expletive] off, immediately followed by - what if he kills me? Like, there's that moment...

(LAUGHTER)

SHLESINGER: ...Hoping to God that your bark was big enough that you don't have to take a lady bite.

Of course, the laughs come first, but the message - once I've gotten you laughing, I want to get you thinking. And there are so many men that are allowed to get up there and be - Joe Rogan and Bill Burr. There are so many smart comics that are get allowed to get up there and give their social commentary. And for some reason, women haven't either stepped up to that as stand-up comedians. Some of them have, for sure, but en masse, not really. I just wanted to stand up for the girls who felt that no one was standing up for them, and I wanted to say what people were thinking. And I wanted girls to feel a little less alone.

Take a man and a woman shopping. Nothing will fit because fashion is the enemy, for sure. But nothing will fit the woman, and it's for negative reasons. And nothing will fit the guy, and it's for positive reasons. Take the woman shopping. Nothing fits. My arms are fat. My thighs are big. I hate my body. Take the guy shopping - an average man of average build - 5'10", 170. No, I can't buy off-the-rack 'cause my shoulders are so abnormally broad. I'm tall. For my height, my waist tapers is such an Adonis-like angle.

MCEVERS: Iliza Shlesinger, thank you so much.

SHLESINGER: Thank you.

MCEVERS: Iliza Shlesinger's latest comedy special is called "Confirmed Kills." It's on Netflix, and she is currently on tour. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.